The transporter room glowed with twinkling lights as humanoid figures formed. Six singed scientists appeared, almost immediately collapsing onto the ground.
"I'm gonna need some help in here!" Dr. McCoy lunged into action. A crew of other physicians and nurses brought in floating stretcher behind them. They began loading victims onto beds for transport to the sick bay. McCoy checked pulses, secured oxygen masks, and barked orders at the other.
The U.S.S. Enterprise had been en route to the Pike Memorial Research Station for data transfer and cargo drop when it had received a distress signal from that very location. A small Klingon vessel had taken an opportunity to attack a beacon of Starfleet information.
The crew on the bridge received quick clearance to fire upon the Klingon vessel and destroyed it with relative ease. The more pressing concern had been the presence of Klingon soldiers aboard the Station, attacking the scientists, and destroying hard drives. Enterprise had been in communication with some of the scientists aboard, and enacted emergency evacuation protocols.
A smaller, life boat style vessel launched from the station and was received in one of Enterprise's bay. In turn, the Columbus launched and came back with a load of survivors. Many of the head researchers stayed back to finish uploading information to Enterprise before being beamed up directly, at great cost of power.
The Station was imploding on itself. Fire erupted from one deck or another every few seconds. Lifeforms, presumed to be attacking Klingons could still be detected.
Kirk returned to his Captain's chair. All things considered, the rescue mission could have gone worse. It was time to repair the ship and count their losses.
"Captain!" A round man in a burnt lab coat, being chased closely by a nurse, burst into the command room. "There's one more. Dr. Vida-still there- please." He fell. The nurse barely managed to keep his head from hitting the floor.
"You're saying not everyone is out?" Kirk turned his chair 180 degrees.
"No," He gasped. "Project…Keshtan…the doctor…"
"Keshtan?" Kirk looked at his colleagues with confusion.
Uhura and Spock, at the same time remarked, "Birth."
"It's Vulcan." Uhura assured.
Spock's eyes widened, "I had heard only rumors Captain- a project meant for New Vulcan- to increase numbers." He launched himself to the man on the ground, "Are you suggesting the scientist behind Project Keshtan is still aboard the station?"
He nodded once more before going unconscious.
Spock looked to Kirk. "I have to beam down."
"Spock, you're joking. Our transporters are barely functioning. I don't know if we can get you down there and back up."
"Respectfully, Captain, this individual may hold the power to bring my species back from the brink of extinction. If I don't attempt to rescue him, he will certainly die. If I do make an attempt, either we both survive, or I won't know the difference."
Kirk hesitated a moment. "Alright, but I'm coming with you."

Moments later, the two men fizzled into existence on the broken deck of the research station. Pieces roared with flames. Broken wires hanging from the ceiling sparked violently. There were corpses, charred, in lap coats and scrubs. A few Klingon bodies had been pinned under pieces of the collapsed ceiling.
Having been prepped, albeit briefly, on the layout of the ship, they quickly ascertained their location on a 3rd floor lobby as the floor practically crumbled beneath them. Biological sciences were on the 5supth/sup floor. They made a break for the remaining staircase, dodging the debris.
Finally, the marker for floor 5 became visible. A box blocked the top of the staircase.
"Help me throw this over," Kirk panted.

Spock nodded, and went to grab hold.
Both men retracted their hands quickly, shocked to find cold metal in a rotunda full of flames.
"The hell is this?!"
Spock wiped the condensation from the box. There was Vulcan text. "Keshtan…" His eyes darted back and forth on the box, widening with each line.
"Medicine or something?" Kirk wiped the sweat from his brow.
"No…Not…Captain these are embryos-VULCAN embryos." Spock swallowed hard and withdrew his communicator. "Scott, how much power do the transporters have?"
"Aye, we're workin' on them sir, but they're nae near full power. Right now I could only get one of you back."
The men made eye contact.
"Captain you have to-"
"Don't 'captain' me-"
"JIM-please-take these and go."
"What about you and the scientist?"
"I'll be fine…possibly. I'll find the doctor-"
"But-"
"Embryos- another doctor can discern what to do, but there has to be something else."
"And what about you?"
"Remember what I said earlier Captain, but better. Now, we've saved a number of Vulcans." He smirked.
Kirk patted his friend's shoulder, and through gritted teeth, accepted the offer. He and the box fizzled elsewhere.
Although in mortal danger, for a moment, Spock felt a sense of relief and hope for his people. Those positive feelings were shaken out of him by the sound of a scream- that of a woman. Confusion.
"Spock, are you there?" Uhura shouted from the communicator. Despite their romantic relationship having been terminated, she still had feelings for the man.
He charged across the balcony and toward the sound of the scream. "Dr. Vida?!"
No answer to Spock. No answer to Uhura.
"Spock-do you read?!" She barked at her control panel, frantically smashing buttons. Her stomach churned and her eyes burned.
Through the flicker of the fire and blinking of red emergency lights he saw an open door and bolted. The inside was smoky, but clearly a laboratory. He drew his phaser as he rounded a corner.
"If I'm gonna die in here, you'd better be worth it." A low voice grumbled.
A large mass moved on the ground. Recognizing Klingon armor, he took aim.
"Halt!"
The figured leaned upward, revealing a second figure beneath him. Seeing Spock, he grabbed a mess of hair and smashed it into the ground with a sickening crack.
As it made contact, Spock fired.
The Klingon fell back on top.
Without hesitation, Spock dropped to a knee and shoved his dead enemy to the side.
Beneath the corpse, there was a woman. A mass of blood-soaked hair covered her face. Her dress had been ripped open from the front, exposing a bruised breast. His heart thudded violently in his chest. He shoved two fingers under her neck, expecting to find nothing.
"Spock-come in-Can you hear me?!-the transporters are functioning again-barely. We've GOT to get you up NOW." Uhura pleaded.
Miraculously, a faint pulse could be detected. He retracted his fingers and saw green. His stomach knotted.
"Yes, two." He reached across her labcoat to where a name-badge read: Dr. Vivian Vida. "I found the doctor. Have McCoy meet us." Pity? Empathy? He wasn't sure, but after scooping her off of the floor, he pulled her garments together as best as possible. Light surrounded the two.

"I've got patients dammit." McCoy stomped into the transporter room in time to see Spock come into view, carrying a limp woman. "My God…I'll get a bed-"
"No time!" Spock made a dash for the sick bay, McCoy close behind him.
As they sprinted through the corridor, they could hear the final explosion of the research station in the distance.
"She's still alive?! Here-" Rounding the corner into the medical center, McCoy whipped around a floating gurney. The other patients, minor or lesser major injuries seemed to fade into the background.
As Spock laid the woman down, McCoy opened her eyes and shined in a light. They were bloodshot, with uneven pupils. "She's got a brain injury for sure- could be concussion- could be worse." He moved downward to the red handprint around her neck and continued. "Bruising, lacerations, fractured ribs- Hey someone get me some O type-"
"McCoy, she's lost a lot of blood-"
"I can see that!"

"MCCOY!" Spock held out his hand, green blood dripped between his fingers.
"She's Vulcan?" McCoy moved the mess of hair to reveal pointed ears. He grunted. "Alright, scratch that. Nurse! Please set up Spock here for a blood donation."
A nurse finally connected a vitals monitor that barely moved, as another sat Spock down and began to roll up his sleeve.
"Is she dying?" Spock panted, not noticing the needle go into his arm.
"At present, yes. But I'll try to put a stop to that." He hustled to get IV's into her arms and a brain scanner above her head. "I'm gonna need a LOT of blood…"
Nurses stood up straighter as the Captain entered the room. At first, he was relieved to see Spock alive, but the green bag hanging below his arm concerned him. He was quickly caught up in the rush.
"Spock! What happened?!"
"I found her."
"Who?"
"The scientist…it's her."
Kirk rushed to her bedside to take a look. "Jeez…what happened-"
"Klingons happened Jim, now get out of my way." McCoy bumped him with his hip, his hands held in the air with sterile, surgical gloves.
"McCoy I…" Spock's vision blurred. He blinked and tried to shake it off, but his head felt light. "I think-"
"Oh don't be an infant. You'll pass out but you'll be fine." McCoy taunted as Spock lost consciousness.
"Bones, what do you suggest we do with that box?"
"Hell if I know! I'm not a fertility specialist." His frustration boiled over as he looked over the brain scan. "We can store them but that's about it. You should reach out to New Vulcan. They'll have someone who can take over, I'm sure."
"It wouldn't be better to keep them here for when she wakes up?"
"Big IF buddy. BIG if."